Evergreen Storm Competes at Jr. Nationals Competition
Albuquerque, NM –Two divisions (Midget and Youth) of the Evergreen Storm Premier Running Team competed Saturday at the USA Track & Field (USATF) Jr. National Champions Saturday, and ran way with some impressive results.
The nation’s young runners, from all regions, competed in this Cross Country meet to see who was the best of the best. Evergreen’s Youth team (13-14 year-olds) placed 12thoverall out of 17 teams, while the Midget team (11 and 12 year-olds) placed 10thout of 22 teams.
Individually, Emily Wilson, 12, who attends Skyridge Middle School, competed in the 3000m and placed 13thout of 263 runners, with a time of 11 minutes, 33 seconds. She earned the distinction of being an “All-American.” Impressive. On the Youth team, Marley LeFore placed 32ndoverall out of 260 competitors.
“I felt good afterward, “ said Wilson. “I’m proud of myself for how far I’ve come. It was a good experience.”
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| Emily Wilson, of Camas, earned 13th place out of 263 competitors in the 3000m race at the USA Track & Field Jr. National Championships. |
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| Emily Wilson, 12, center, placed 13th in the nation in her age division in the 3000m race. |
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| Members of the Evergreen Storm Youth Team in New Mexico. |
Wilson has only been running competitively for 15 months and has played soccer for years.
“It was cool to see who was the best of the best,” Wilson added.
LeFore also had a great time.
“It was an amazing experience because there were so many girls that have the same talent as me,” LeFore said. “And I got to test my talents to see how good I was. From this experience I learned that I should not underestimate myself and to worry about my race and not how others are running.”
LeFore added: “Our team ranked high because we all sacrificed and worked hard! All of the girls are like my second family!”
Evergreen Storm team member, Lauren Mahnke, said, “It was a great weekend and a great experience to run with girls from all over the country!”
The experience has inspired her to keep running. She is already sad there will be no Storm practice on Monday.
“The altitude was tough, but we ran through it,” Mahnke added.
The team practices at the Union High School track, and is coached by Mike McKinney.
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Fantastic article! I do want to say a quick thank you to the Evergreen Storm Midget team coach, Chantel Efraimson. She has done a wonderful job with the younger team. Thanks for spreading the news regarding how the team did!
I had the privilege of watching the girls run in this event and they were great representatives of your community both on and off the track. As a resident of the San Antonio area, I am really hoping to see them all at next year's event to be held in San Antonio!!